Improved apparatus for tanning



UNITED STATES PATENT` OFFICE.

O. H. BREWER, OF SHANNON, AND WM. WIMER, OF VFREEPORT, ILLINOIS, i ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVES AND ISAIAH BEST.

IMPRovED APPARATUS Fon TANNiNG.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 18,361, dated June 27, 1865. 'S

T0 all whom t may concern: t

Be it known that we, O. H. BREWER, of Shannon, Oarroll county, and W. WIMER, of Freeport, in the county of Stephenson, and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Im provements in Tanning; and we hereby declare that the following is a full and complete description of the construction and operation ot' the apparatus therefor, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part ot' this specification, in which- Figurel is an end view, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section.

Our invention consists in devices and-apparatus for manipulating hides and skins, both in liming and tanning, by means of which they can be subjected to the action of liquids in a chamber to a greater orless extent exhausted' of its atmosphere, thus facilitating the action of the liquid upon the hides and skins.

A represents a vat, of convenient capacity to hold the liquid to be used in the process,

` either'for depilating ortanning. This may be constructed in the ordinary manner of constructing` tan-vais. Immediately above, or in close proximity with, the said Vat we place an air-tight chamber, B.` This air-tight chamber is provided with an opening on one side (shown at C) for the introduction ot' the skins, which aperture can be closed with an air-tight door, O. The interior is provided with a series of racks, D, upon which the skins are suspended during the operation.

E represents a pipe connecting with the interior of the chamber B, and to which an exhaust-pump can be attached for the purpose of exhausting the air from the chamber.

F represents a valve placed upon theinside of the chamber, and which is to be held in place by a graduated scale lifting upward, for the purpose of determining the degreeof exhaustion the chamber is subjected to.

Gr represents a pipe connecting with the upper portion of the chamber Bhand extending to the vat A. This pipe is :provided with a stop-cock, H, which is closed while the cham-` `ber is being exhausted and opened to allow the liquid from the vat to flow into the chamber by atmospheric pressure.

I represents a pipe placed in the lowest part of the chamber, and also provided with a stopcock, Whichis closed while the chamber is being exhausted, and is `only open `to draw off the spent liquor from the chamber B.

The operation of this invention differs from others of a similar character in the followingnamed'particulars: The skinsfare suspended in the chamber upon the racks, and instead of pumping in the liquid in which they are subsequently immersed, we exhaust the air from the chamber before the liquid is introduced; and in order to determine the degree to which this exhaustion is carried, we have provided the valve F, hy means of which we can .determine accurately the number of pounds pressure of the atmosphere. the pores of the skins more perfectly than can he done when'the exhaustion takes place after the skins are immersed; and, further, we can at any time during the immersion of the skins determine the degree of exhaustion in the chamber B. By exhausting the chamber after the skins are placed therein and before any liquid is introduced renders the skins more porous and more easily permeable to the liquid than when the exhaustion takes place after immersion. The degree of exhaustion ot' the chamber B should be carried up to about fourteen pounds to the inch, and kept so during the immersion of the skins.

What we claim as our invention, and desire. to secure by Letters Patent, is'- The herein-.described apparatus, consisting' of the vat A, chamber B, pipes E Gr H, and valve F, when these several parts are combined, arranged, and operated as and for the purpose herein specified.

OLIVER H. BREWER. WILLIAM WIMER.

Witnesses J oHN FIGELEY, `JOHN GoAtrEs.

This operation opens 

